The highest form of help anyone can give me is to simplify the complex.
Give me a a four-ingredient cookbook over an award-winning Martha Stewart gourmet recipe any day, and I'm happy.
In Matt Fitzgerald’s book, The Cutting Edge Runner, he sifts through all the noise and myths about weight training and explains in no uncertain terms the true benefit of strength training for runners. Thanks, Matt. That’s exactly I want to know. I don’t care about bulk, ripped sinewy muscles. And I can achieve sex appeal by simply hanging out with my non-running friends—or by wearing my running clothes from the 80s.
All I want to know is how I can build the right kind of strength in the right muscles so they’ll enhance my daily running and occasional racing. Thanks to Fitzgerald, I focus on three types of training that develop 1) strength, 2) power, and 3) muscle balance.
And the super cool news is we don’t need to focus on all three strength areas all the time. We can prioritize and choose different components of strength training throughout our running seasons. Below is the simplified outline of Fitzgerald's training that I'm currently using.
General Strength Workout
Purpose: For hips, abdomen, back, chest, and shoulders
- Squats
- Wood chops
- Calf raises
- Reverse wood chops
Power Workout
Purpose: Produces speed with the increased ability to exert a force on the ground with the foot and increased stride length.
- Split squat leaps
- Single arm dumbbell clean and press
- Single leg box jumps
- Power side lunges
Muscle Balance Workout
Purpose: Increases efficient running form, and strengthens stabilizing muscles that if left underdeveloped can lead to injuries
- Single leg squats
- Morning dumbbell swings
- Lower abdominal squeeze
- Side step ups
- Pillow balancing
We need to learn what many runners ignore: our leg muscles are forged with endurance, but not necessarily with strength. And there is a big difference between endurance and strength; endurance is the ability to perform an action over and over and over. Strength is the ability to perform a certain activity with increased capability.
I'm seeing solid results with the above simple strength program. It's productive and time efficient.
By the way, Amy, I've also found a great four-ingredient recipe for some of the best cookies you've ever tasted.
Move over Martha. There's a lot to be said for simplicity.
The highest form of help anyone can give me is to simplify the complex.
Give me a a four-ingredient cookbook over an award-winning Martha Stewart gourmet recipe any day, and I'm happy.
All I want to know is how I can build the right kind of strength in the right muscles so they’ll enhance my daily running and occasional racing. Thanks to Fitzgerald, I focus on three types of training that develop 1) strength, 2) power, and 3) muscle balance.
And the super cool news is we don’t need to focus on all three strength areas all the time. We can prioritize and choose different components of strength training throughout our running seasons. Below is the simplified outline of Fitzgerald's training that I'm currently using.
General Strength Workout
Power Workout
Muscle Balance Workout
We need to learn what many runners ignore: our leg muscles are forged with endurance, but not necessarily with strength. And there is a big difference between endurance and strength; endurance is the ability to perform an action over and over and over. Strength is the ability to perform a certain activity with increased capability.
I'm seeing solid results with the above simple strength program. It's productive and time efficient.
By the way, Amy, I've also found a great four-ingredient recipe for some of the best cookies you've ever tasted.
Move over Martha. There's a lot to be said for simplicity.